Liberal Party of Belgium

The Liberal Party was a classical liberal political party in Belgium that was active from 1846 to 1961. The party was the first political party in Belgium, and it won a clear victory in the 1848 elections, following lower tax requirements that benefited urban populations, where liberals were stronger. The Liberal Party was generally dominant until 1884, when it lost to the Catholic Party of Belgium after a war between proponents of secular education and Catholic education. In 1900, the Liberal Party made a comeback with the introduction of proportional representation. It merged into the Party for Freedom and Progress in 1961.